Tonight, the annual Bonfires on the Levee celebration takes place in St. James Parish. The fires are scheduled to be lit at 7PM to light the way for Papa Noel.

St. James Parish President Timothy Roussel says the lighting of the bonfires is a big deal because it's tradition.

"It's a longer than life tradition that dates back to the late 1700s - early 1800s."

He says thousands of people will descend on the area for tonight's festivities. If you plan on heading to the Bonfires on the Levee celebration, it’s recommended that you get into the area before 6PM. Roussel says, if you've never seen the bonfires before, it is a sight to see.

"Think of this, a Mississippi River levee full of wooden structures, 133 in total, and all of them are lit up at the same time at 7PM."

For safety reasons, the structures are 15 feet tall instead of 20 feet, as in year's past. Roussel says this is the perfect event to get anyone into the Christmas spirit.

"So you have lighted skies, full of fireworks, and with 200,000 people on the levee and on the streets, talk about a festive atmosphere."